CASH HOGS RISE Tightening supply drove U.S. cash hog prices up. Warm weather in the Midwest is slowing weight gain. Hog weights in Iowa-southern Minnesota were down two pounds from the previous week. Iowa-southern Minnesota cash hogs delivered to plants rose to $70 US per cwt. June 17 from $68-$68.50 June 10. The U.S. pork […] Read more
News
Western Producer Livestock Report – for Jun. 23, 2011
Carbon footprint tied to production not transport: Pulse Canada
European consumers should not assume Canadian crops have a bigger environmental footprint than locally produced product because of how far they have to travel, says Pulse Canada. It argues that production is a far bigger factor than transportation when it comes to measuring food’s carbon footprint, and says Canadian crops offer distinct advantages in the […] Read more
Bison producers can’t keep up with demand
BIG SKY, Mont. – American bison producers are enjoying high prices for slaughter animals, but similar to the Canadian situation, demand is outstripping supply. Producers attending the National Bison Association convention in Montana June 16-18 were repeatedly encouraged to expand herds and attract new ranchers. Prices are approaching $4 per pound on the rail, said […] Read more
Federal budget approved; contains key agriculture plans
The federal budget was approved in principle last week in record time, supported by Conservatives and Bloc Québécois MPs. The NDP, Liberals and Green Party leader Elizabeth May opposed it. The budget’s approval in the new majority Parliament was not in doubt, but the speed of the vote, sup-p orted by all sides as they […] Read more
Canadian meat inspection staff increase disputed
The Conservatives say the Canadia n Food Inspection Agency has increased its food inspection staff significantly since they came to power in 2006. “At the end of fiscal year 2010-11, CFIA inspection staff had increased by a net total of 733 members since this government was formed in 2006,” agriculture minister Gerry Ritz told the […] Read more
Ranchers seek compensation in wake of B.C. drought, fires
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – British Columbia ranchers hit hard by wildfires and drought last summer continue to wait for aid. The B.C. Cattlemen’s Association asked the province last December to process its request for federal aid through Agri-Stability and Agri- Recovery programs, but little has happened. “We are now nine months after the fires and […] Read more
Crop insurance bargaining resumes in Sask.
Bargaining between Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. and 470 members of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union resumed late June 22 after tough talk from the premier earlier in the day. The talks wrapped up around midnight and were set to resume today. The workers walked off the job June 21 after being in a […] Read more
Debt levels strain farmers
Despite record farm debt levels in Canada, farmers have never been more asset-rich, says Statistics Canada. But the percentage of income required to service debt last year also increased with interest rate increases and larger debt servicing expenses expected as early as this autumn. Last year, farm equity rose $8.6 billion to $282.4 billion, a […] Read more
Centre for food will study supply management impact
The Canadian food industry is one of Canada’s best-kept economic secrets, says the Conference Board of Canada. As part of its plan to design a proposed national food strategy, the business-financed research organization has published a report that details the extent of the food industry’s impact on the Canadian economy. It includes creating 2.3 million […] Read more
International gathering to review FMD threat
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – It’s not a human health issue, nor is it particularly production limiting, but foot-and-mouth disease has the potential to grind Canadian beef trade to a halt. Dr. Greg Douglas, Saskatchewan’s chief veterinary officer, said that possibility always exists and would be catastrophic for the industry. He and other provincial and state […] Read more
